Ka (Indic)

Ancient scripts
Bangla and Tibetan scripts
	Note: Korean Hangul is an alphabet, not an Indic abugida, but; appears to ultimately have some derivation from 'Phags-pa.
Sharada-based scripts
Nagaris and other Gupta-based scripts
Kawi scripts
Tai and Khmer scripts
Other Grantha-based scripts
Other Brahmic scripts
	Canadian Aboriginal syllabics do not have a letter derived from Ka.
Phonemic representation:	/k/
IAST transliteration:	ka Ka
ISCII code point:	B3 (179)

Ka is the first consonant of Indic abugidas. In modern Indic scripts, ka is derived from the Brahmi letter , which is (according to the Semitic hypothesis) derived from the Aramaic ("K").

Mathematics

Āryabhaṭa numeration

Aryabhata used Devanagari letters for numbers, very similar to the Greek numerals, even after the invention of Indian numerals. The values of the different forms of क are:[1]

क [kə] = 1 (१)
कि [kɪ] = 100 (१००)
कु [kʊ] = 10,000 (१० ०००)
कृ [kri] = 1,000,000 (१० ०० ०००)
कॢ [klə] = 1×10⁸ (१०^८)
के [ke] = 1×10¹⁰ (१०^१०)
कै [kɛː] = 1×10¹² (१०^१२)
को [koː] = 1×10¹⁴ (१०^१४)
कौ [kɔː] = 1×10¹⁶ (१०^१६)

Tabla Strokes

In Tabla notation, क (ka) also seen as कि (ki), or के (ke) is a flat, nonresonant stroke of the left hand. The heel of the hand is left on the drum, while the hand rotates to hit the drum, with the focus of the force being focused between the tips and first joints of the fingers.

Hindu astrology

के (ke) is the abbreviation used for केतु (Ketu), the descending lunar node. In Hindu astrology Ketu represents karmic collections both good and bad, spirituality and supernatural influences. Ketu is associated with the Matsya Avatar (Fish Incarnation) of Vishnu. Ketu signifies the spiritual process of the refinement of materialization to spirit and is considered both malefic and benefic, as it causes sorrow and loss, and yet at the same time turns the individual to God. In other words, it causes material loss in order to force a more spiritual outlook in the person. Ketu is a karaka or indicator of intelligence, wisdom, non-attachment, fantasy, penetrating insight, derangement, and psychic abilities. Ketu is believed to bring prosperity to the devotee's family, removes the effects of snakebite and illness arising out of poisons. He grants good health, wealth and cattle to his devotees.

Historic Ka

There are three different general early historic scripts - Brahmi and its variants, Kharoshthi, and Tocharian, the so-called slanting Brahmi. Ka as found in standard Brahmi, was based on a simple "+" shape, with slight variations toward the Gupta . The Tocharian Ka had an alterante Fremdzeichen form, . The third form of Ka, in Kharoshthi (𐨐) was probably derived from Aramaic separately from the Brahmi letter.

Brahmi Ka

The Brahmi letter , ka, is probably derived from the Aramaic Kaph, and is thus related to the modern Latin K and Greek Kappa. Several identifiable styles of writing the Brahmi Ka can be found, most associated with a specific set of inscriptions from an artifact or diverse records from an historic period.[2] As the earliest and most geometric style of Brahmi, the letters found on the Edicts of Ashoka and other records from around that time are normally the reference form for Brahmi letters, with vowel marks not attested until later forms of Brahmi back-formed to match the geometric writing style.

Brahmi Ka historic forms
Ashoka (3rd-1st c. BCE)	Girnar (~150 BCE)	Kushana (~150-250 CE)	Gujarat (~250 CE)	Gupta (~350 CE)

Ashoka Brahmi Ka with vowel marks
K	Ka	Kā	Ki	Kī	Ku	Kū	Kr	Kr̄	Kl	Kl̄	Ke	Kai	Ko	Kau

Tocharian Ka

The Tocharian letteris derived from the Brahmi , and has an alternate Fremdzeichen formused in conjuncts and as an alternate representation of Kä.

Tocharian Ka with vowel marks
Ka	Kā	Ki	Kī	Ku	Kū	Kr	Kr̄	Ke	Kai	Ko	Kau	Kä	Fremdzeichen

Kharoshthi Ka

The Kharoshthi letter is generally accepted as being derived from the Aramaic Kaph, and is thus related to K and Kappa, in addition to the Brahmi ka.

Devanagari Ka

Ka (क) (कवर्ण kavarn) is the first consonant of the Devanagari abugida. It ultimately arose from the Brahmi letter , after having gone through the Gupta letter . Letters that derive from it are the Gujarati letter ક, and the Modi letter 𑘎.

Devanagari-using Languages

In all languages, क is pronounced as [kə] or [k] when appropriate.

नकली = nakali [nəkəliː] "fake"

In this example, क implements its inherent vowel, the schwa.

बकवास = bakvās [bəkʋaːs] "nonsense"

In this example, क deletes the inherent schwa for correct pronunciation.

Certain words that have been borrowed from Persian and Arabic implement the nukta to more properly approximate the original word. It is then transliterated as a q.

क़दम = qəd̪əm [qadam] "footstep"

Conjuncts With क

Half form of Ka.

Devanagari exhibits conjunct ligatures, as is common in Indic scripts. In modern Devanagari texts, most conjuncts are formed by reducing the letter shape to fit tightly to the following letter, sometimes referred to as a "half form". Most Devanagari letters drop a character's vertical stem to create a half form, but due to its large tail to the right of the stem, the common half form of क has its tail reduced to attach to the following letter. Some conjunct clusters are always represented by a true ligature, instead of a shape that can be broken into constituent independent letters. Vertically stacked conjuncts are ubiquitous in older texts, while only a few are still used routinely in modern Devanagari texts. The use of ligatures and vertical conjuncts may vary across languages using the Devanagari script, with Marathi in particular preferring the use of half forms where texts in other languages would show ligatures and vertical stacks.[3]

Ligature conjuncts of क

True ligatures are quite rare in Indic scripts. The most common ligated conjuncts in Devanagari are in the form of a slight mutation to fit in context or as a consistent variant form appended to the adjacent characters. Those variants include Na and the Repha and Rakar forms of Ra. Nepali and Marathi texts use the "eyelash" Ra half form for an initial "R" instead of repha.

Repha र্ (r) + क (ka) gives us the ligature rka: ^note

Eyelash र্ (r) + क (ka) gives us the ligature rka:

क্ (k) + rakar र (ra) gives us the ligature kra:

ङ্ (ŋ) + क্ (k) + rakar र (ra) gives us the ligature ŋkra:

क্ (k) + न (na) gives us the ligature kna:

क্ (k) + त (ta) gives us the ligature kta:

क্ (k) + त্ (t) + rakar र (ra) gives us the ligature ktra:

क্ (k) + त্ (t) + व (va) gives us the ligature ktva:

ङ্ (ŋ) + क্ (k) + त (ta) gives us the ligature ŋkta:

Devanagari Kṣa

Kṣa half form

One of the most common true ligatures in Devanagari is the conjunct kṣa क्ष. This ligature is a required form for most Devanagari languages, and the conjunct even has its own half form that freely joins other letters in horizontal conjuncts.

क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives us the ligature kṣa:

Repha र্ (r) + क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives us the ligature rkṣa:

Eyelash र্ (r) + क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives us the ligature rkṣa:

छ্ (cʰ) + क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives us the ligature cʰkṣa:

ढ্ (ḍʱ) + क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives us the ligature ḍʱkṣa:

ड্ (ḍ) + क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives us the ligature ḍkṣa:

द্ (d) + क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives us the ligature dkṣa:

ङ্ (ŋ) + क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives us the ligature ŋkṣa:

ङ্ (ŋ) + क্ (k) + ष্ (ṣ) + य (ya) gives us the ligature ŋkṣya:

ट্ (ṭ) + क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives us the ligature ṭkṣa:

ठ্ (ṭʰ) + क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives us the ligature ṭʰkṣa:

Stacked conjuncts of क

Vertically stacked ligatures are the most common conjunct forms found in Devanagari text. Although the constituent characters may need to be stretched and moved slightly in order to stack neatly, stacked conjuncts can be broken down into recognizable base letters, or a letter and an otherwise standard ligature.

ब্ (b) + क (ka) gives us the ligature bka:

छ্ (cʰ) + क (ka) gives us the ligature cʰka:

च্ (c) + क (ka) gives us the ligature cka:

ढ্ (ḍʱ) + क (ka) gives us the ligature ḍʱka:

ड্ (ḍ) + क (ka) gives us the ligature ḍka:

द্ (d) + क (ka) gives us the ligature dka:

ह্ (h) + क (ka) gives us the ligature hka:

क্ (k) + ब (ba) gives us the ligature kba:

क্ (k) + च (ca) gives us the ligature kca:

क্ (k) + ड (ḍa) gives us the ligature kḍa:

ख্ (kʰ) + क (ka) gives us the ligature kʰka:

क্ (k) + ज (ja) gives us the ligature kja:

क্ (k) + ज্ (j) + ञ (ña) gives us the ligature kjña:

क্ (k) + क (ka) gives us the ligature kka:

क্ (k) + ल (la) gives us the ligature kla:

क্ (k) + ङ (ŋa) gives us the ligature kŋa:

क্ (k) + ञ (ña) gives us the ligature kña:

क্ (k) + व (va) gives us the ligature kva:

ळ্ (ḷ) + क (ka) gives us the ligature ḷka:

ङ্ (ŋ) + क (ka) gives us the ligature ŋka:

फ্ (pʰ) + क (ka) gives us the ligature pʰka:

ठ্ (ṭʰ) + क (ka) gives us the ligature ṭʰka:

ट্ (ṭ) + क (ka) gives us the ligature ṭka:

व্ (v) + क (ka) gives us the ligature vka:

Bengali Ka

The Bengali script ক is derived from the Siddhaṃ , and is marked by a similar horizontal head line, but less geometric shape, than its Devanagari counterpart, क. The inherent vowel of Bengali consonant letters is /ɔ/, so the bare letter ক will sometimes be transliterated as "ko" instead of "ka". Adding okar, the "o" vowel mark, কো, gives a reading of /ko/.

Like all Indic consonants, ক can be modified by marks to indicate another (or no) vowel than its inherent "a".

ক in Bengali-using languages

ক is used as a basic consonant character in all of the major Bengali script orthographies, including Bengali and Assamese. It is also used with a nukta, ক়, for foreign borrowings of /q/.

Conjuncts with ক

Bengali ক exhibits conjunct ligatures, as is common in Indic scripts, with a tendency towards stacked ligatures.[4]

Conjuncts in Ksha ক্ষ

The most important conjunct of ক is the irregular kʃa ligature ক্ + ষ [ʃ] = ক্ষ. This conjunct not only has a special form in all Bengali alphabets, it even functions as an independent letter in the Assamese orthography.

This ক্ষ conjunct forms regular conjuncts with other letters, keeping its distinct form:

ক্ষ (kʃ) + ম (ma) gives us the ligature kʃma:

ক্ষ (kʃ) + ম্ (m) + য (ya) gives us the ligature kʃmya, with the ya phala suffix:

ক্ষ (kʃ) + ন (na) gives us the ligature kʃna:

ক্ষ (kʃ) + ব (va) gives us the ligature kʃva, with the va phala suffix:

ক্ষ (kʃ) + য (ya) gives us the ligature kʃya, with the ya phala suffix:

Other conjuncts of ক

ক্ (k) + র (ra) gives us the ligature kra, with a variant ligature instead of a ra phala suffix:

ঙ (ng) + ক্ (k) + র (ra) gives us the conjunct ngkra, with a variant of the kra ligature:

স্ (s) + ক্ (k) + র (ra) gives us the conjunct skra, with the kra ligature:

ষ্ (ṣ) + ক্ (k) + র (ra) gives us the conjunct ṣkra, with the kra ligature:

ক্ (k) + ক (ka) gives us the ligature kka:

ক্ (k) + ল (la) gives us the ligature kla:

ক্ (k) + ম (ma) gives us the ligature kma:

ক্ (k) + স (sa) gives us the ligature ksa:

ক্ (k) + ত (ta) gives us the ligature kta:

ক্ (k) + ত্ (t) + র (ra) gives us the ligature ktra, with the ra phala suffix:

ক্ (k) + ট (ṭa) gives us the ligature kṭa:

ক্ (k) + ট্ (ṭ) + র (ra) gives us the ligature kṭra, with the ra phala suffix:

ক্ (k) + ব (va) gives us the ligature kva, with the va phala suffix:

ক্ (k) + য (ya) gives us the ligature kya, with the ya phala suffix:

ল্ (l) + ক (ka) gives us the ligature lka:

ল্ (l) + ক্ (k) + য (ya) gives us the ligature lkya, with the ya phala suffix:

ঙ (ng) + ক (ka) gives us the ligature ngka:

ঙ (ng) + ক্ (k) + শ (ʃa) gives us the ligature ngkʃa:

ঙ (ng) + ক্ (k) + য (ya) gives us the ligature ngkya, with the ya phala suffix:

র্ (r) + ক (ka) gives us the ligature rka, with the repha prefix:

র্ (r) + ক্ (k) + য (ya) gives us the ligature rkya, with the repha prefix and ya phala suffix:

স্ (s) + ক (ka) gives us the ligature ska:

ষ্ (ṣ) + ক (ka) gives us the ligature ṣka:

ত্ (t) + ক (ka) gives us the ligature tka:

Gujarati Ka

Gujarati Ka.

Ka (ક) is the first consonant of the Gujarati abugida. It is derived from the Devanagari Ka , and ultimately the Brahmi letter . ક (Ka) is similar in appearance to ફ (Pha), and care should be taken to avoid confusing the two when reading Gujarati script texts.

Gujarati-using Languages

The Gujarati script is used to write the Gujarati and Kutchi languages. In both languages, ક is pronounced as [kə] or [k] when appropriate. Like all Indic scripts, Gujarati uses vowel marks attached to the base consonant to override the inherent /ə/ vowel:

Ka	Kā	Ki	Kī	Ku	Kū	Kr	Kl	Kr̄	Kl̄	Kĕ	Ke	Kai	Kŏ	Ko	Kau	K

Gujarati Ka syllables, with vowel marks in red.

Conjuncts with ક

Gujarati ક exhibits conjunct ligatures, much like its parent Devanagari Script. While most Gujarati conjuncts can only be formed by reducing the letter shape to create a "half form" that fits tightly to following letter, Ka does not have a half form. A few conjunct clusters can be represented by a true ligature, instead of a shape that can be broken into constituent independent letters, and vertically stacked conjuncts can also be found in Gujarati, although much less commonly than in Devanagari. Lacking a half form, Ka will normally use an explicit virama when forming conjuncts without a true ligature.

True ligatures are quite rare in Indic scripts. The most common ligated conjuncts in Gujarati are in the form of a slight mutation to fit in context or as a consistent variant form appended to the adjacent characters. Those variants include Na and the Repha and Rakar forms of Ra.

ક્ (k) + ર (ra) gives us the ligature KRa:

ર્ (r) + ક (ka) gives us the ligature RKa:

ઙ્ (ŋ) + ક (ka) gives us the ligature ṄKa:

ક્ (k) + ષ (ʂa) gives us the ligature KṢa:

ર્ (r) + ક (ka) ષ (ʂa) gives us the ligature RKṢa:

ઙ્ (ŋ) + ક (ka) ષ (ʂa) gives us the ligature ṄKṢa:

Javanese Ka

Telugu Ka

Telugu independent and subjoined Ka.

Ka (క) is the first consonant of the Telugu abugida. It ultimately arose from the Brahmi letter . It is closely related to the Kannada letter ಕ. Most Telugu consonants contain a wedge-shaped headline that is related to the horizontal headline found in other Indic scripts, although headlines do not connect adjacent letters in Telugu.

Telugu independent and subjoined KṢa.

Telugu conjuncts are created by reducing trailing letters to a subjoined form that appears below the initial consonant of the conjunct. Many subjoined forms are created by dropping their headline, with many extending the end of the stroke of the main letter body to form an extended tail reaching up to the right of the preceding consonant. This subjoining of trailing letters to create conjuncts is in contrast to the leading half forms of Devanagari and Bengali letters. Ligature conjuncts are not a feature in Telugu, with the only non-standard construction being an alternate subjoined form of Ṣa (borrowed from Kannada) in the KṢa conjunct.

Malayalam Ka

Malayalam letter Ka

Ka (ക) is a consonant of the Malayalam abugida. It ultimately arose from the Brahmi letter , via the Grantha letter Ka. Like in other Indic scripts, Malayalam consonants have the inherent vowel "a", and take one of several modifying vowel signs to represent syllables with another vowel or no vowel at all.

Malayalam Ka matras: Ka, Kā, Ki, Kī, Ku, Kū, Kr̥, Kr̥̄, Kl̥, Kl̥̄, Ke, Kē, Kai, Ko, Kō, Kau, and K.

Conjuncts of ക

Malayalam letter Chillu K

As is common in Indic scripts, Malayalam joins letters together to form conjunct consonant clusters. There are several means of forming conjuncts in Malayalam: using a subjoined form of a trailing consonant placed under the initial consonant of a conjunct, a combined ligature of the two consonants joined together, a conjoining form that appears as a combining mark on the rest of the conjunct, the use of an explicit candrakkala mark to suppress the inherent "a" vowel, or a special consonant form called a "chillu" letter, representing a bare consonant without the inherent "a" vowel. Texts written with the modern reformed Malayalam orthography, put̪iya lipi, may favor more regular conjunct forms than older texts in paḻaya lipi, due to changes undertaken in the 1970s by the Government of Kerala.

ല് (l) + ക (ka) gives us the ligature lka:

യ് (y) + ക (ka) gives us the ligature yka:

ങ് (ŋ) + ക (ka) gives us the ligature ŋka:

ക് (k) + ക (ka) gives us the ligature kka:

ഴ് (lll) + ക (ka) gives us the ligature lllka:

ക് (k) + ട (ṭa) gives us the ligature kṭa:

ക് (k) + ണ (ṇa) gives us the ligature kṇa:

ക് (k) + ത (ta) gives us the ligature kta:

ക് (k) + ന (na) gives us the ligature kna:

ക് (k) + മ (ma) gives us the ligature kma:

ക് (k) + ര (ra) gives us the ligature kra:

ക് (k) + സ (sa) gives us the ligature ksa:

ക് (k) + ഷ (ṣa) gives us the ligature kṣa:

ക് (k) + ഷ് (ṣ) + ണ (ṇa) gives us the ligature kṣṇa:

ക് (k) + ഷ് (ṣ) + മ (ma) gives us the ligature kṣma:

ക് (k) + ഷ് (ṣ) + ല (la) gives us the ligature kṣla:

Odia Ka

Odia independent and subjoined letter Ka.

Ka (କ) is a consonant of the Odia abugida. It ultimately arose from the Brahmi letter , via the Siddhaṃ letter Ka. Like in other Indic scripts, Odia consonants have the inherent vowel "a", and take one of several modifying vowel signs to represent syllables with another vowel or no vowel at all.

Odia Ka with vowel matras
Ka	Kā	Ki	Kī	Ku	Kū	Kr̥	Kr̥̄	Kl̥	Kl̥̄	Ke	Kai	Ko	Kau	K
କ	କା	କି	କୀ	କୁ	କୂ	କୃ	କୄ	କୢ	କୣ	କେ	କୈ	କୋ	କୌ	କ୍

Conjuncts of କ

As is common in Indic scripts, Odia joins letters together to form conjunct consonant clusters. The most common conjunct formation is achieved by using a small subjoined form of trailing consonants. Most consonants' subjoined forms are identical to the full form, just reduced in size, although a few drop the curved headline or have a subjoined form not directly related to the full form of the consonant. The second type of conjunct formation is through pure ligatures, where the constituent consonants are written together in a single graphic form. This ligature may be recognizable as being a combination of two characters or it can have a conjunct ligature unrelated to its constituent characters.

ଙ୍ (ŋ) + କ (ka) gives us the ligature ŋka:

ତ୍ (t) + କ (ka) gives us the ligature tka:

ର୍ (r) + କ (ka) gives us the ligature rka:

କ୍ (k) + ର (ra) gives us the ligature kra:

Odia Kssa କ୍ଷ

Odia independent and subjoined KSsa.

Although ostensiby a conjunct of Ka and Ssa, Odia କ୍ଷ (KSsa) is largely treated as an independent letter pronounced /kʰɔ/ or /kʰjɔ/. Unlike other Odia conjuncts, କ୍ଷ can be found as an independent letter subjoined to another letter or conjunct.

ତ୍ (t) + କ୍ (ka) + ଷ (ṣa) gives us the ligature tkṣa:

References

Ifrah, Georges (2000). The Universal History of Numbers. From Prehistory to the Invention of the Computer. New York: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 447–450. ISBN 0-471-39340-1.
Evolutionary chart, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal Vol 7, 1838
Pall, Peeter. "Microsoft Word - kblhi2" (PDF). Eesti Keele Instituudi kohanimeandmed. Eesti Keele Instituudi kohanimeandmed. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
"The Bengali Alphabet" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-28.

^note Conjuncts are identified by IAST transliteration, except aspirated consonants are indicated with a superscript "h" to distinguish from an unaspirated cononant + Ha, and the use of the IPA "ŋ" and "ʃ" instead of the less dinstinctive "ṅ" and "ś".